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October 4, 2024: The SMART Transportation Division proudly congratulates SMART Railroad, Mechanical and Engineering Division (MD) members for their achievement in ratifying collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) with three major rail carriers: BNSF, CSXT and Norfolk Southern.  

The newly ratified agreements will provide SMART-MD members with healthcare stability and annual wage increases through December 31, 2029. The five-year agreements guarantee an average general wage increase of 3.5% per year and include improvements in paid vacation and health and welfare benefits, maintaining a consistent employee monthly cost-share contribution. 

John McCloskey, General Committee 2 directing general chairperson, remarked on the significance of these agreements, stating, “GWIs of 18.8% compounded are almost unheard of in the freight industry, especially on a voluntary basis without concessions. I appreciate BNSF, CSX and NS negotiating with SMART-MD in good faith.” 

SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson told SMART News, “This is a milestone that underscores the strength and determination of SMART members in securing fair labor agreements. Congratulations to our brothers and sisters in the Mechanical Division!” 

In a strong show of unity, members voted in favor of the CBAs, with results reflecting significant support: 69% for BNSF, 68% for CSXT, and 62% for Norfolk Southern. This outcome highlights the commitment of SMART-MD’s members to engage in the ratification process and ensure their voices are heard. 

SMART-MD Director Peter Kennedy expressed gratitude to the members who participated, stating, “Thank you to the members that took the time to educate themselves about their agreement, and that participated in the ratification process. We are glad to have resolved negotiations with these major freight railroads. The remaining rail carriers need to follow the pattern that has been established by BNSF, CSXT and NS.” 

SMART General President Michael Coleman also praised the outcome, noting, “The members have passed their verdict on the agreements with BNSF, CSX-T and NS, with more than 60% voting in favor for each carrier. I am grateful for the determination and advocacy of the SMART-MD negotiating team, and I appreciate the leadership at BNSF, CSX-T and NS for resolving the next round of national negotiations without dragging out the bargaining process for years.” 

As we celebrate this victory, the SMART Transportation Division reaffirms its dedication to supporting all SMART divisions in their pursuit of equitable labor agreements. These successful ratifications serve as a powerful reminder that together, we can achieve meaningful progress and secure a better future for all rail industry workers. 

The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation (SMART) Railroad, Mechanical and Engineering Department (MD) members employed on BNSF, CSX-T and Norfolk Southern Railway have voted to ratify their respective collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). Members voted in favor of the CBAs by 69% (BNSF), 68% (CSX) and 62% (NS).

With these agreements ratified, SMART-MD members employed by BNSF, CSX-T and NS have secured healthcare stability and annual wage increases through December 31, 2029.  

The CBAs on each respective rail carrier are essentially identical, consisting of a five-year term that provides for annual general wage increases (GWI) that average out to 3.5% per year, improvements for paid vacation, as well as improvements to health and welfare benefits without changing the employee monthly cost-share contribution of 15% of the carriers’ monthly payment rate. The CBAs also resulted in the creation of new benefit design for employees that desire to have employee-only coverage under a high deductible health plan at a reduced employee monthly cost-share contribution. 

“GWIs of 18.8% compounded are almost unheard of in the freight industry, especially on a voluntary basis without concessions,” said General Committee 2 Directing General Chairperson John McCloskey. “I appreciate BNSF, CSX and NS negotiating with SMART-MD in good faith and allowing us the opportunity to engage with the members throughout the ratification process.” 

“Thank you to the members that took the time to educate themselves about their agreement, and that participated in the ratification process. We are glad to have resolved negotiations with these major freight railroads. The remaining rail carriers need to follow the pattern that has been established by BNSF, CSX-T and NS,” added SMART-MD Director Peter Kennedy.

“The members have passed their verdict on the agreements with BNSF, CSX-T and NS, with more than 60% voting in favor for each carrier,” said SMART General President Michael Coleman. “I am grateful for the determination and advocacy of the SMART-MD negotiating team, and I appreciate the leadership at BNSF, CSX-T and NS for resolving the next round of national negotiations without dragging out the bargaining process for years. I am glad these railroads recognized that our members deserve to be compensated fairly with wage increases coming to them in real time, rather than years after the fact.” 

SMART RME Director Peter Kennedy speaks on rail safety in front of a House roundtable.

SMART Rail, Mechanical and Engineering Department Director Peter Kennedy joined fellow rail workers and community witnesses to stand for rail safety during a roundtable hosted by Democratic members of the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials on Wednesday, March 13.

Kennedy – along with Vince Verna of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen; Mayor Frank Moran of Hiram, Ga. (the site of a 2021 derailment); East Palestine, Ohio resident Anna Sevi-Doss and others – testified to the devastating effects of deregulation on the railroad, and the need for Congress to pass the bipartisan Railway Safety Act.

“Everybody knows the story: rail safety has deteriorated under precision scheduled railroading [PSR],” Kennedy explained in his opening statement. “It’s nothing more than a cost-cutting business operating model that is founded upon the root of all evil, which is the love of money. The sole focus is to maximize profits for shareholders.”

Watch video of the House roundtable.

The Railway Safety Act was introduced in the wake of the East Palestine derailment and explosion in February 2023 by Senators Sherrod Brown and J.D. Vance of Ohio, Bob Casey and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and by Representative Chris Deluzio in the House. However, amidst concentrated lobbying against the bill by the railroad carriers, there has been no progress made towards a full vote in either chamber.

Democratic Congressmembers Rick Larsen and Donald Payne, Jr. hosted the March 2024 roundtable – titled “Listening to Rail Workers and Communities” – to “help get rail safety legislation back on track,” according to Larsen.

“Simply put, what we are seeing today in the freight rail industry is efforts to take shortcuts on labor safety and service, all in the pursuit of profits, while we see bigger profits for the railroads – meaning more dividends for shareholders,” Payne said.

Reps. Larsen and Payne
Rep. Deluzio
Members of Congress listen to rail workers’ testimony

Throughout the hearing, members of Congress, citizens and union leaders all described the fraught conditions that both workers and ordinary Americans experience as a result of deregulation and corporate greed. Kennedy outlined the adverse effects on safety, as well as shippers and the industry as a whole, that occur when the carriers cut services and equipment maintenance. Even worse, he told subcommittee members, are the drastic workforce reductions in the industry.

“As Vince said, over 30% of the workforce has been eliminated. With respect to the Mechanical Department employees, 41% of the workforce has been eliminated since PSR,” Kennedy explained. “And what’s crazy is, the cuts are still happening.”

“It’s absolutely asinine,” he added. “There’s not enough workers to perform this critical safety work on locomotives and rail cars in this country. That’s what it boils down to.” 

The Railway Safety Act would implement a variety of safeguards to keep Americans and railroaders safe, including a nationwide mandate for well-trained two-person crews on all freight trains; restrictions on train length and weight; regulations on the installation, frequency, upkeep and response to wayside defect detectors; and much more. SMART RME, TD and rail labor organizations throughout the country have urged lawmakers to pass these common-sense regulations in the 12-plus months since the bill’s introduction, as states including Minnesota, New York, Ohio and Kansas have themselves passed rail safety legislation.

“We need both sides of the aisle to make freight rail safety a priority,” Kennedy concluded. “We need meaningful change to the industry. We need Congress to act now, and I thank Ranking Members Larsen and Payne for hosting a roundtable discussion to discuss ongoing and unaddressed rail safety issues.”